Early Intervention for Families at Risk of Care Breakdown
Child protection systems often intervene only after a family reaches a crisis, but care deprivation can develop over years. Research from the FAR Child Protection Center in Armenia suggests identifying weakening support networks earlier could prevent some crises. The article argues for measuring family vulnerabilities before legal thresholds are met.
The article is first in a three-part series and draws on Tatevik Karapetyan’s research. Karapetyan is a sociologist affiliated with Yerevan State University and the Armenian Association of Social Workers, and formerly worked in quality assurance at the FAR Mardigian Child Protection Center. Her study used CPC case files, interviews with child protection professionals, and interviews with children.
The research challenges a binary view in which a child either meets a legal threshold for intervention or does not. It describes care deprivation as gradual, shaped by weakening relationships, reduced parental availability, loss of extended-family help, and pressures such as illness, migration, violence, unemployment, and financial strain. The article argues for earlier measurement of support networks and legal status.
Earlier identification of families whose support networks are fraying could affect children, parents, extended relatives, social workers, schools, and courts. It may allow help before neglect or crisis becomes legally actionable, potentially reducing trauma and costly emergency responses. Yet broader screening may also raise questions about privacy, resource allocation, and how to avoid labeling families. The impact would likely depend on implementation, available services, and trust between families and institutions.